UAPA heat for ex-havildar in Bollaram arms theft case
HYDERABAD: Malkajgiri police are preparing to invoke the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against ex-havildar Upputholla Mallesh in the Bollaram arms theft case, as reported by DC.
Mallesh already faces extortion and theft cases at Achampet and Nagarkurnool police stations. Police produced him before a magistrate, who remanded him in judicial custody. Investigators are likely to seek his custody and file a petition on Monday.
Police sources said Mallesh’s alleged criminal activities began before his Army service. He allegedly faced extortion and arms theft cases in Achampet and Nagarkurnool before joining the Army in 2010.
Mallesh served in several states before his posting with the Madras Regiment. He also served at Barrackpore in West Bengal, a major military cantonment near Kolkata.
Investigators are now examining his activities during that posting. They want to know whether he had access to, or came into contact with, defence arms and ammunition establishments.
Police recovered 12 firearms, 21 magazines, a night-vision binocular and 1,912 rounds of ammunition.
Investigators believe Mallesh knew the weapons and ammunition well. They suspect he knew exactly what he wanted to take from the KOTE.
According to a police source, Mallesh first removed weapons from one armoury. He then selected the matching ammunition from another room. Investigators say this suggests that he knew the storage arrangements.
Investigators probe possible links to three other suspects
After allegedly stealing the weapons, Mallesh took them to his hometown. He was constructing a house there. Investigators said he dug up part of the courtyard and buried the weapons.
His father was present at the house but allegedly knew nothing about the concealment.
Police are also tracking three other suspects. Investigators are checking Mallesh’s communications before and after the theft. They want to establish whether anyone knew about the stolen weapons or helped him hide or dispose of them.
Investigators are likely to send Mallesh’s mobile phone to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). DGP C V Anand had earlier said Mallesh deleted his WhatsApp chats and call history. Investigators suspect he tried to erase evidence.
A police source said Mallesh contacted a Class X schoolmate and allegedly told him that he had weapons. The schoolmate panicked and disconnected the call. Mallesh also spoke to others about possessing weapons.
When asked whether he had contacted anyone to sell the weapons, Mallesh reportedly said, “I did not contact anybody yet.” However, a police source said investigators believe he planned to sell the stolen weapons.
Quick arrest helped police trace stolen weapons
An ex-serviceman familiar with such investigations said the quick identification of Mallesh proved crucial. Without it, tracing the stolen weapons could have become much harder, he said.
“Investigators would have had to wait until someone used the weapons in a crime. Police might then have found a shell or bullet at a crime scene. If someone sold the weapons and ammunition separately, tracing them would have become even harder,” the ex-serviceman said.
He said investigators can use grooves and rifling marks inside a firearm barrel to link a fired bullet to a specific weapon.
However, that method would become relevant only if someone later used a stolen firearm in another crime.
